Quick Comic Revews - Spike: A Dark Place

Spike: A Dark Place - I can't remember why I picked up this book, I may have just been in the store and had nothing else to pick up, but I really could have done without it. A long drawn out story that really doesn't go anywhere and okay art. Not a bad book but nothing to write home about and not really a necessary (or recommended) read in my opinion. I think the Buffy stories really lost their way when they went to comics and this one continues that trend. And that's really all I have to say.

Quick Comic Review - Chew Volume 7: Bad Apples

Chew Volume 7 -- This series seems to be moving more and more to a darker and more intense tone. It's still got much of its comedy intact but this volume focuses on the repercussions from the previous volume. And, although I prefer the lighter side of this series it's still a great book. Still recommending this series to those with a strong stomach (yeah, bad pun).

Is it a sign?

I've been thinking a lot lately that I should probably bring the Bluenoser to a close or just flat out stop doing it (or maybe leave it on an open ended hiatus). It's extremely time consuming, the only readers I have are a few people on DrunkDuck, and I don't have the confidence/talent to really do much with it. And now with DrunkDuck down for the last week and a half nobody is reading it. So beyond personal improvement, there's really no point and with no feedback it's even harder to improve. And I really haven't had the free time as of late to work on it.

So I guess I have to figure out what I'm going to do. Continue or just bring my webcomic creating to a close. And if I do close it down, do I have wrap it up now (throwing away the story ideas I had) or just leave it unfinished.

Decisions, decisions.

One More Fan Expo Canada 2013 Thing

One panel I forgot to mention was the webcomic one and it's understandable as I found it extremely underwhelming. I'm not sure what I was expecting, is "webcomics" really a thing that needs its own panel at comic conventions any more? And this one just felt like I was sitting in a room listening to a couple friends have a conversation about their webcomics. The panelists seemed to be a clique who all shared similar experiences and had similar opinions. And half of the questions came from the moderator. Definitely could (and should) have skipped this one.

Fan Expo 2013 Recap

I won't bother with any photos, you can find that sort of stuff on my Twitter account. But here's a bit of a recap of my weekend...

Thursday: Started off with plenty of confusion as security and volunteers admitted to having no idea what was going on. Many didn't understand that there were various forms of weekend passes (VIP, Premium, and Deluxe) that had different benefits and such. But Thursday was mostly a shopping day. Got a Hellboy hardcover (signed in person by Mike Mignola), Skullkickers volumes 1 and 2 (signed in person by Jim Zub), Astro City: The Dark Age 1 and 2, some Fan Expo exclusives (Hellboy and Firefly t-shirts and the Rocketeer/Spirit comic), and prints from Agnes Garbowska, Mike Rooth, and Christopher Uminga.

Friday: More confusion from the security and volunteers but let's move past that. Friday we had the Steve Epting/Stuart Immonen sketching duel where they (somewhat reluctantly) drew Rocket Raccoon. Both rocked their sketches. Other than that, more shopping. Picked up books from Becky Cloonan (the Mire, Wolves, Demeter) and from Steve Niles (Breath of Bones 1-3).

Saturday: Have I mentioned the confusion? But despite that, things actually ran fairly smoothly inside the con. There were delays when trying to get from one place to another (some intentional I've heard, to control crowding issues) but things seem to run fairly smoothly. Saturday was a photo-op with Nathan Fillian/Gina Torres (who were super nice and awesome as you hope they would be) as well as the sketching duel between Andy Belanger, Stephen Platt, and Yanick Paquette (Cary Nord missed it). The duel was lots of fun and each was great with the crowd, especially Belanger and Paquette. If either of those two are involved in a duel or panel at a con you can pretty much count me in.

Sunday: First up, photo op with Ron Perlman. Super nice guy. In fact, I heard so many great stories about all the celebrities there. Tim Sale couldn't make it so Tony Moore took his place in a sketching duel vs Dave Johnson. The duel quickly moved to a more adult tone in stories but whatever. The Deadpool sketches were great. Then it was a bit more shopping (I bought some Hulk buttons).

All in all, I didn't really have a lot of must see celebrities or events I felt were necessary but I really enjoyed a bit more of a relaxing Fan Expo where I could spend quite a bit more time shopping and just seeing the sights. And by the end, I wasn't nearly as worn out as I usually am by the fourth day. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Quick Comic Reviews - Astro City: Local Heroes

Astro City: Local Heroes - This volume definitely had a "Marvels" feel to it, focusing on the common man and woman living among the superheroes/villains. Every story is very well written and the art may not be flashy but is effective at telling the stories. I wish I would have tried out this series long ago, but perhaps I wouldn't have appreciated it as much back then. I definitely continue to recommend this series to everyone.

And I was fortunate to locate the Dark Age 1 and 2 at Fan Expo so now I just have to wait for the Shining Stars TPB.

Quick Comic Reviews - Invincible Volume 18

My pile of books to read has grown far too large and I really need to start knocking some of them off. I was thinking of taking some to Fan Expo Canada next weekend to read while I was waiting in lines but I didn't really want to lug a bunch of books with me (an argument for digital?) and I hope to pick up some down there so I don't want to lug even more back home with me. Which reminds me, anyone else going to Fan Expo Canada?

Invincible Volume 18 - SPOILERS: The title "The Death of Everyone" turns out to be a pretty big exaggeration. Sure, a lot of people die (which makes me wonder what the other Image universe characters were up to during all this, especially the ones who appeared in earlier Invincible issues) but actual Invincible characters dying? Not very many. Having said that, this volume was pretty good. Intense, lots of emotion, complex questions, etc, etc. The downside, it wasn't exactly told in a great fashion. The splash pages? Didn't work when "Death of Superman" did it, didn't really work for me here (though the inclusion of more dialog helped a bit here). And the jumping to the side stories like Omni-Man and Angstrom Levy just felt choppy and distracting at times. My final take, a good story but not exactly executed as well as it could. A good Invincible volume, but not a great one. Still, I'm eager to see what happens next.

Quick Comic Reviews: Hawkeye Volume 2

I know it's been a while since my last review. I've been spending quite a bit of my reading time trying to make my way through the "A Song of Ice and Fire"/Game of Thrones books. Not even half way through the second book, I'm a slow reader and they're pretty big books.

Hawkeye Volume 2: Little Hits - This series is pretty awesome. Amazing storytelling by everyone. Fraction deserves much of the credit but the art, the colouring, the lettering, it all comes together perfectly. I know it may be a stretch but parts of it sort of reminded me of Wil Eisner's Contract with God. How some great stories can come out of a simple apartment building settings with a quirky cast of characters, their stories intertwining just right. I saw why people put the first volume on their top books lists and I can see why this series is going to stay there for some time.

Another Year, Another Comic-Con I Didn't Go To

I keep telling myself that at this point I'm better off not going to Comic-Con. I get to sit at my computer and see the news as it comes in via Twitter/Bloggers/Comic news sites instead of having to brave the crowds for a glimpse of some nugget of info. It makes me feel a little bit better about missing all the fun/craziness.

This year didn't really seem to blow me away in terms of announcements. There seemed to be some great panels and such but they were mostly for stuff we already knew was coming (Thor 2, Cap 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc). The Avengers 2 announcement (titling it "Age of Ultron") surprised me but it wasn't a complete shocker. Batman appearing in Man of Steel 2? That was quite a bit of a shocker but since I didn't really care for the last couple Batman films or Man of Steel, my shock quickly turned into "expect to be disappointed again." And in terms of comics, I didn't really see much news that blew me away. The Sandman art looked awesome but I'm trying to avoid reading too much about it. I'm glad to hear a new Parker book by Darwyn Cooke is on its way. I wonder if companies are not relying on making Comic-Con announcements as they usually get spoiled days in advance anyways (even the Batman news got leaked almost a day early I believe) and more on just promoting what's already known (with small nuggets of new info).

Either way, it seems like people had a great time and that's what it's all about right? Maybe one of these years I'll get to brave the crowd just to say I've experienced it, for good or for bad.

Quick Comic Reviews - Sweet Tooth Volume 6

So Sweet Tooth has come to an end and it's been a great run. There were a few times where I doubted it but it ended strong. There were some parts where I felt the page layouts were a bit off but other than that, a very solid conclusion. I wouldn't put this one up with Lemire's Essex County or Underwater Welder but it's a series that's worth checking out.

Man of Steel Review - Bad but okay? SPOILERS

I went to see Man of Steel yesterday and I came out of the theatre thinking "That movie was okay. I didn't really hate it." Yeah, there were some things that I felt were bad but all things considered, I was entertained for the most part. But I also recognized right away that it was a bad movie. It was poorly written, badly directed, and quite a bit of a mess. Yet, I was entertained.

Overall, the movie was a mess. Every scene was written and directed to force you to feel at every moment and it felt like it. It comes across as corny. Instead of building characters you feel for you're getting characters thrown at you while it feels like the writers and directors are yelling in your face to feel for what's happening. Then it switches gears to be over the top action. Again, it feels so in your face that it loses any real potential to connect. So all the things you're supposed to respond to like Pa Kent's death, Superman killing Zod, Superman's decision to bring Krypton's legacy to an end, Colonel Hardy's sacrifice, etc, etc they just get washed away as we get something else thrown at us. It gets thrown at you and then washed away with whatever you're supposed to care about in the next second.

I have to commend the actors, they actually did a decent job with the material and they still come out okay despite all the directing/editing/writing that just gets in their way. I wonder what could have been.

And I won't get into the stupidity of some parts. I'm really trying not to nitpick story parts that made no sense or were just idiotic but there was so much of that here.

So, overall, it wasn't a complete waste of 2 hours for me. But it's a very poorly written and badly directed film.

Quick Comic Reviews - Road to Oz and Saga Vol. 2

Two very different books this time around.

Marvel's Road to Oz - Getting Skottie Young to draw these books was genius, he's probably the main reason I keep coming back to these books. This one felt a bit weak in terms of story, but the art makes up for some of the weaknesses. The characters and their stories are creative, and Young's art really brings it all to life. The Marvel adaptation of the Oz books are a great idea for introducing people (young or old) to the world of Oz. As someone who has never read the books, I can't say any more than that. I definitely recommend these books.

Saga Volume 2 - Includes the big controversial issue which I won't bother to talk about because I feel too much has been said already. This volume continues to introduce us to the amazing (and very unique) universe that Vaughan and Staples are building as well as the characters within. We get to see quite a lot of Marko and Alana's story, Marko a bit more so in this particular volume. The story and writing continue to amaze me and the art is gorgeous. Fiona's art not only match the incredibly unique world being built up but also tell the story quite effectively. All in all, I think this is one of the best books out there right now.

Quick Comic Reviews - Manhattan Projects Vol 2

Manhattan Projects Volume 2 -- The first volume hit me so hard with all its twists and turns, I figured this one would have a tough time topping it. Granted, it didn't have quite as much "shock" to it as the first volume but this volume continued some pretty darn strong storytelling and some very interesting (and weird) twists. The art matches the craziness of the story and it all works well together. This series has quickly become a must read for me. It's probably a little too out there for many but I'm really enjoying it.

Quick Comic Reviews - Buffy, Superman and RIPD

This week was hell. Just, hell.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 3 - I'm not entirely sure why I'm still buying this series. Yes, it's Buffy but it's not exactly good Buffy. This series has been better than season 8 but still not really that good. The first story just seemed to drag on and really didn't feel necessary. The second story, about the first male "slayer", just seemed to be a silly idea from the get go to me and didn't get much better when I read it. Not a bad comic, but not one I'd really recommend.

Superman Earth One Volume 1 - I went in to this one acknowledging that this is yet another Superman origin but hoping it would be an original take on it, which I knew would be tough given how many times we've gone through this. Despite some small parts that seemed original (some of which seem to mirror what I've seen of the upcoming Man of Steel film) it felt completely unnecessary and unoriginal as a story. It felt like they needed an Earth One story so they threw this together, it didn't feel like they had a great story idea and developed it into this. Definitely not on my recommended reading list.

RIPD Volume 1 - Wow, this was a pretty bad comic. Right off the bat, I don't want to say "Men in Black rip off" but there are just so many similarities. And even the differences were so cliche that I found it tough to read. The art? Okay in parts, but weak storytelling in others. Close up shots in weird places where I don't have a clue what was happening took me right out of it. All in all, a pretty big disappointment. Hopefully the movie they made is better because this one was a regrettable purchase.

So some disappointing reads as of late.

Quick Comic Reviews - The Indestructible Hulk Volume 1

The Indestructible Hulk Volume 1 - Before getting into the comic itself I have to comment on the hardcover printing of this book. First up, I was a bit disappointed that this book wasn't the same quality (and increased size) of the last two Hulk hardcovers. I think Yu's art could have benefited from the size increase. But that's acceptable. Secondly, and more importantly, the binding was rather disappointing as I found it difficult to fully open the book on some pages without potentially destroying the binding. This was especially annoying given the art (and sometimes the text) went to the edge of the page and there were a few double page spreads (or least panels that spread from one page to the next) that ended up being somewhat ruined by it. I was also surprised that it was only the first 5 issues but whatever.

As for the content, I really enjoyed the writing. I really like it when the highlight the genius of Bruce Banner. I enjoyed it when Pak did it and I think Mark Waid is taking it to the next level. I wasn't as big a fan of Jason Aaron's psychotic Banner but that's another story. I think Waid's writing on this is great, I've really enjoyed much of his work and this is living up to my expectations. Leinil Yu is a bit hit or miss with me but I like his work here more than I normally do. There were a few parts that I felt were a bit messy and hard to follow/figure out but overall, it was dynamic art that really popped off the page. The page layouts were creative but flowed well for the most part. So this one definitely makes my recommended reading list and I'm incredibly happy to see a Hulk book of this quality.

Quick Comic Reviews - Swamp Thing Volume 2

Some days I think about setting up an anonymous blog to rant/vent about stuff. I know a private journal would be a better idea but somehow I think it would feel better for it to be public, even if nobody actually reads it.

Swamp Thing Volume 2 -- This volume didn't feel as strong as volume 1. Part of it is that this one seems to come to a climax rather early on and then feels like it fumbles a bit to try to find its footing again, at least to me. It's still an interesting story, some solid art (even though it has some substitute artists for the last few issues) and enjoyable but I was a bit let down by it. I also felt that I was missing out not knowing who Anton Arcane was. That reminded me of an issue I've had with many of DC's 52, that despite the "reboot" they are still really written for the regular fan and new fans just feel that they aren't in on the whole story. I'm still planning to pick up volume 3, to see how Snyder's run comes to an end, but it doesn't really feel like a must read any more.

Quick Non-Comic Review -- The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury

The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury will probably be the last Walking Dead thing I read. I'll still watch the show for the time being but I'm done with the comic and the novels. This one was a little interesting, the characters were a bit more unique and it was another early zombie outbreak story which I find more interesting than the stuff going on in the comic now but overall, it just wasn't really that interesting a story. You sort of saw the Governor's slide into darkness continue for a part of this book but it just wasn't really enough to warrant a novel. The "main" characters in this book seemed mostly throw away characters and as it switched from different perspectives it seemed to do so at bad times, never really giving the full story behind a character's thoughts or actions. And in the end, none of it seemed to matter anyways. So, for me at least, it really feels more like a money grab than a story that really needed to be told. Walking Dead fans may enjoy it, but it doesn't make my recommended reading list.

Ottawa Comiccon 2013 Recap

Ottawa Comiccon has come to a close today and what a convention it was (for me at least). This one had a heavy Joss Whedon feel to it with the likes of Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite, James Marsters, Nicholas Brendon, and Felicia Day attending among others (not to mention Summer Glau who ended up cancelling at the last minute due to a passport issue, it happens but she was missed by all). But it also had a much better comic book/artist alley line up compared to last year with the likes of Chris Claremont, Neal Adams, Dale Keown, Richard Starkings, and George Perez coming out. So all in all, I had high hopes for this weekend and I really wasn't disappointed other than Herb Trimpe failing to attend again this year (not sure why).

With a slightly smaller crowd, Friday was a good day for me to knock off quite a few things. Like signing up for a commission from Dale Keown, dropping by Richard Starkings' table to get the Elephantmen print signed and talk comics with him (he's great with his fans by the way), buy a Chewbacca bathrobe (which is awesome), grabbing autographs from Jewel Staite, Felicia Day, and Nicholas Brendon, and a photo with Jewel.

Chewie!

Day two was so much more hectic on the floor but fortunately for me, I had a "VIP" pass that helped get me into the Nathan Fillion/Jewel Staite panel as well as the Felicia Day panel, along with front line access to Nathan Fillion's autograph and photo and the Wil Wheaton/Felicia Day photo. Then there was the Nicholas Brendon panel. Then I picked up my sketch from Dale Keown (an incredibly awesome Abomination drawing). And at some point (the day is a bit of a blur) I grabbed a sketch from Pia Guerra (who, in my humble opinion, should charge much more for her sketches).

Pia Guerra's Yorick and Ampersand

 

 

 

 

 

Dale Keown's Abomination

Day three was a bit easier on me. To start, I had the Nathan Fillion panel (the VIP pass helped yet again) and that panel became Nathan and Jewel part 2 (which was awesome again). Then it was shopping (grabbed a page from the Hulk/Pitt one shot from Dale Keown) and just seeing what I might have missed the first two days. My brother, Brent, decided to grab a George Perez Thor sketch and to be honest, I'll probably regret not getting one myself once I'm awake enough to really think about it. But at that point, I just couldn't bring myself to stand in another line. Then I screwed up. I asked Mike Rooth if I could buy a coaster with a Hulk sketch on it but with everything going on, my tiredness, and needing to make sure I had Mother's Day covered I completely forgot to go back and get it. I feel absolutely horrible about that and I'm hoping I can get in touch with him via Twitter so I can make amends at Fan Expo Canada or some other convention.

George Perez sketching Thor for Brent

So, all in all it was a great time for me but I am completely exhausted. One nice thing about it being in Ottawa is I get to meet up with local friends there. Friends who don't make the trip to Fan Expo Canada. And getting to see how happy they are to meet Nathan Fillion or Gillian Anderson, or just sit in on a Nicholas Brendon or James Marsters Q&A panel makes a convention so much better for me. I think the best thing about comic conventions for me is just seeing the joy you see in people when they meet their idols, whether it's an actor, a writer, an artist, or whatever else. That feeling just seems infectious (almost as infectious as the "con flu" that I'm bound to get) but seeing it in your friends' faces just amps it up a bit. So thank you to the organizers, the volunteers, exhibitors, guests, anyone else I haven't covered, and my friends/family including Brent, Carl, Michelle, Meaghan, Amy, and Sean, for making this convention so incredibly awesome. See ya next year!

Quick Comic Reviews - Angel and Faith Volume 3

Free Comic Book Day seemed to be very successful with both stores I visited having plenty of customers coming and going. Many seemed to be new to comics or at least not current customers. A lot of kids and women as well, which I feel is a very good sign.

But this weekend is Ottawa Comiccon which I was pretty excited for, I love conventions. But with Nathan Fillion added at the last minute, I'm absolutely bouncing off the walls. There are just so many people I'm excited to see but Nathan, he's been near the top of my list for a while. Joss Whedon (which I realize will never happen) tops the list, by the way.

Angel and Faith Volume 3 -- This book continues to be a huge step up from the previous Buffy/Angel books, even making those books somewhat more palatable. Still not edible, just slightly less toxic. So maybe it's that those books were just so bad but I'm still enjoying this series. It may not make my recommended reading list, even for Buffy/Angel fans, but I don't regret picking it up. Which seems like a backhanded compliment I know but it's the best I have at the moment.

And now to get back to thinking about Ottawa Comiccon. I'll be sure to post a recap at some point.

Quick Comic Reviews -- Superman, Star Trek, and Hawkeye

Have I mentioned Ottawa Comiccon lately? Probably but I'll mention it again because I love attending comic conventions. And Ottawa Comiccon is looking very good this year. I'm eager to meet Jewel Staite, Summer Glau, Felicia Day (for a second time), Wil Wheaton, and Nicholas Brendon but they've also seriously upped their comic guest line up from last year with George Perez, Chris Claremont, Neal Adams, Dale Keown, Richard Starkings, Arthur Suydam, Herb Trimpe, Larry Hama, Pia Guerra, and many others coming out. It's looking to be a great (and expensive) weekend.

But as for the latest batch of comic reviews...

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness - I had high hopes for this book as I really enjoyed the comic they put out prior to the previous movie. I felt it really flushed out parts of the backstory and set up the movie well. I didn't get that feeling so much this time. There were hints of an upcoming story but nothing as major as last time. It didn't seem really that important to the story. The writing was okay, the art was pretty good, but it was just an okay Star Trek comic. Not really a must-read, just an "if you're interested."

Superman: Secret Identity - I didn't have a lot of confidence in this one after reading the first chapter, it seemed a bit silly to me at first, but it quickly becomes an incredibly engaging story. There is some really beautiful artwork that really connects you with the story. I can see it not being for everyone, but I might put it in my top 5 Superman stories (up there with All-Star, Red Son, Kingdom Come, Whatever Happened To...). Definitely glad I picked this one up and I would definitely recommend it. Maybe not for everyone, but for many.

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon - I now get what all the fuss was about. Was this ever a fun book or what. Great stories, had me chuckling throughout, and an edge-of-your-seat ride from start to finish, through each story. So it looks like I'll be adding another Marvel book to my reading list after all. I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone. And that's all I can really say about it.